


Autumn Trails

by warmblankets



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Artist Castiel, College Castiel/Dean Winchester, Fluff and Angst, I AM SORRY, M/M, Mention of Sam Winchester - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-08-13
Updated: 2014-08-13
Packaged: 2018-02-12 22:44:07
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,901
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2127264
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/warmblankets/pseuds/warmblankets





	Autumn Trails

Castiel and Dean met way back in elementary school. There was some stupid play everyone had to be in, and their characters had a lot of lines together.  
Dean was one of the few people that could send Cas into a laughing fit. All through high school they were close, though they ended up in different crowds. Castiel would bore his friends with endless stories about Dean, because you could /never/ guess what Dean got him into last weekend.  
Naturally the two drifted even closer by the time college came around, and eventually the pair became.. A pair.  
They both went to different colleges as they did have different interests. Every weekend along with occasional week days were spent together, if not just the two of them then with a group.

Now, Castiel was getting ready for an evening Dean had planned, which meant anything could happen.  
Cas had spent most of the day working on artwork for class, and his room was covered in in supplies and drafts. Castiel had a streak of charcoal on his cheek he didn't seem to notice while getting ready. He wore light-washed jeans, and a slightly tight blue tee-shirt that was covered by Dean's letterman jacket from a bit back. He didn't bother too much on his hair, he liked it better messy.

When Dean arrived, he was rushed to the Impala, Dean grinning. They got in and Dean had refused to answer anything related to where they were going. The most Castiel got out of him thus far was a kiss on the cheek.

"Dean, am I gonna get any hints here?" He tried once more with a smile.  
"I'm afraid not." Dean grinned, turning the radio off as they parked.  
"At least tell me you have some idea where we are."  
"I know exactly where we are." Dean said simply turning to Cas.  
"We're in the middle of nowhere surrounded by trees." Cas stated, eyebrow raised.  
"Bingo." Dean grinned, unbuckling and getting out.  
"Wait, what?" Cas sat confused a moment before following Dean's lead who was now starting towards the nowhere's world of multicoloured autumn leaves. "Dean c'mon where are you going?"  
"Cas shhhh. Enjoy a little adventure." Dean grinned, not slowing down in the least.  
Castiel quickly caught up with him, however. "I'm confused."  
"Good." Dean's grin remained.  
Dean led them through the trees, down a winding path not yet walked upon by many. He stopped in front of a small lake, sunlight dancing on the still water. The trees made space around it, and the grass was green and soft-looking.  
Dean smiled some before sitting down.  
Castiel looked more confused than he had before but he followed Dean's footsteps sitting beside him.  
"Dean?" Cas whispered.  
"Yes, Cas, we're here." Dean said simply.  
"And where is 'here'?"  
"Well. We're in the middle of nowhere surrounded by trees."  
"I managed to grasp that much." Cas laughed.  
"Nice, right?" Dean smiled,laying back.  
"Yeah.." Castiel said after a while. "Yeah it is."  
"Lay with me?" Dean asked.  
"Of course." Cas settled down, and Dean took his hand in his own.

 

The two stayed like that for a while, and talked about everything there was to mention. Then the pair fell into a comfortable silence.  
Castiel was the one to break that silence. "I could spend forever with you here."  
"I couldn't." Dean replied.  
"Oh.." Cas's voice suddenly came out small.  
"Not enough time." Dean added, and he could feel Castiel relax.  
"Oh." Castiel repeated, tone far happier.  
"Why here?" Dean asked. "Spend forever here of all places?"  
"Yes. Here. Here where we can talk forever side by side, where the sun shines and the leaves are so many colours."  
Dean just smiled, propping himself up on his elbow long enough to peck Cas's lips and linger just a moment longer.  
"We can do that. But can we go home tonight first to get food? Forever without that would be toooorture." Dean whined.  
Cas laughed. "We can always make a day trip to get food."  
"Then we can totally spend as many forevers as you'd like here."  
"Perfect."

 

From that day on, they made a point to go back there as often as they could. Castiel occasionally whipping out his camera to take pictures of the view. Most every picture he took was of Dean who didn't know the camera was on him. Now and again, in between candids of Dean and nature, he'd get pictures of the two of them. Dean liked to steal his camera and chase him, trying to get pictures for payback.  
They went in the winter, too.  
They walked down the same trail to the same spot. They made snow angels, brought hot coffee and hoped it stayed at least a little warm. They attempted to make a fire when it got later, knowing they both didn't have the faintest idea how which would result in laughter and promising next time they'd bring a lighter and blankets.

Dean even proposed there. He brought Cas there when the leaves were thousands of colours at once. They sat and talked and laughed and Dean nearly forgot why they'd come. Before they headed back to the car, Dean stopped him. He got flustered and red, his words even had a slight stutter to them. His proposal was awkward but heart felt. Cas couldn't stop the way 'yes, of course' spilled from his lips repeatedly, even if he wanted to. Dean had slipped the ring on his finger and practically lifted Castiel in the air, his embrace so strong.

A few months passed since that night and the pair were back. The air was warm and days were longer, letting them spend their Saturday hours in what truly was their paradise. The Fourth of July was more than a month away yet fireworks boomed above them, the clearing giving them a view of a lifetime. Cas had begun falling asleep against Dean, and Dean let him for a while. Soon though, Dean woke him gently and a very tired Cas sat up. Dean still got him to smile, and they headed back to the car; Cas stopping every single time he felt the need to yawn, to make his point clear.

When Dean woke up the following morning, it was in a start. Something he'd dreamed sent chills up his spine. He didn't know what it was, just that Cas yelled his name.  
He opened his eyes and looked around him, seeing white everywhere.  
"Mr. Winchester, we're glad to see you're awake." A woman's voice. Calm. Gentle. Warm. Clearly concerned.  
"What.. Wh.. Where's Cas?" He asked, blinking everything to focus as he realised he wasn't home.  
"We'll let you 'wake up' before we give you the necessary information." She said. Her hair was collarbone length, dark brown thick loose curls. Dean had never seen her before. A doctor.  
"I'd like to know where my fiancé is now ." The force he used hurt his throat, and slowly but surely he began feeling sore. Everywhere.  
"Well.." The woman started. "You were both in a crash two days ago, an intoxicated driver."  
"Okay, that isn't my question. Where is he?" Dean demanded, fear rising in his throat.  
"He wasn't responsive when help arrived."  
"But he is now." Dean finished.  
"No, I'm sorry. He passed away." She said morosely.  
"Did.. Did you even try to help him?" Dean choked out, hot tears brimming in his eyes.  
"Unfortunately,He was DOA."  
"But you could've tried." Dean hissed. "Did you ever think I'd wake up and need him?"  
"There was nothing we could have done."  
"You could have tried."

 

\--------  
After the funeral, Dean wasn't the same. He rarely answered his phone, almost never spoke to his brother. He never once wanted to go back down that trail.  
The first day of autumn, when the leaves change, since Cas's passing Dean wanted to drink himself into a tizzy. He started to, but he knew how Castiel would feel. He ended up putting the bottle back, and the night was spent in silence, looking through pictures the two had taken.  
The following morning, Dean got into his Impala. He'd fixed it up, took his mind off of it all a couple hours a day for a few weeks. He drove around town before he pulled up by the trail, almost out of habit. He got out and took a breath, walking down the winding path not yet walked along by many. This time, he didn't have a hand to hold.  
No one pointed out each of the colours of the leaves like the total art nerd that Cas was.  
No one got over excited at that one rock they passed every single time because they couldn't believe how much they thought it looked like a feather carved in marble.  
No one nudged Dean's side when the lake came into view, smiling hard.  
He was alone.  
Dean sat in his usual spot twisting his ring around his finger, that he never took off, watching the still water. Birds chirped but Dean pretended he couldn't hear them.  
He felt his eyes brim with tears as he opened his mouth to speak.  
"I miss you." He said, quietly into the peaceful quiet. "I really miss you, Cas." A tear now rolled down one cheek.  
No one responded, and Dean didn't know why he thought someone might. He hoped Cas would be behind him, a hand on his shoulder, laughing because it was all some joke or something.  
It wasn't, and Dean knew it. But he hoped.  
"I couldn't give you forever." He continued, the back of his throat burning with tears he refused to shed.  
"I couldn't and you deserve it."  
Another wave of silence crashed by and Dean's eyes let more tears silently roll down his cheeks.  
"It's not the same without you. I need you here." He let a pause slip by as if Cas would respond.  
"I want you back. I wanna hold your hand and mess up your hair and-" Dean choked on his words. "I wanna marry you, Cas. I want to tell you I love you every morning when you wake up and through out the day and before you go to sleep. I didn't do that enough." Dean felt his voice break. "But you're not gonna wake up."  
Dean stood slowly, wiping his eyes and tried to walk away like he'd never been there. On the walk back, he made it passed the rock but couldn't manage all the way. Before he knew it, his eyes were hit again and his throat burned. He mumbled obscenities kicking a pebble as he felt himself begin to cry. Only the second time he'd let himself since Cas's passing; the first being in the ride home after his funeral.  
He looked up at the sky, now covered by branches. "I know you're up there, Cas, and I want you back here, okay? I need you to get back down here.. I.. I can't do it without you what the hell am I supposed to do?" He was nearly yelling but the tears stopped him from continuing. "I miss you." He managed. "I love you and I miss you and I hate not having you here every day." His voice was shaky and broken, but it was all he could manage before he continued down the path, fists clenched and alone.


End file.
